Finding Love in All the Cheap Places

I am a girl who loves a good bargain. And I'm constantly looking for a good deal. So naturally I have a love for perusing thrift stores and Craigslist for my next big find. My desk, bookshelf, coffee table and end table from my college apartment were all refurbished pieces of furniture that my roommate and I found for next to nothing at our local thrift store. And they were actually cute and well-made! In fact, one of the pieces is still in my house today, and I still get compliments on it. It just goes to show that a little bit of paint or reupholstering can go a long way. And the best part is that you're finished, you will have a one-of-a-kind piece.

Here are a few before and after pictures that will show you exactly what I mean.

And check out this transformation featured on Living with Lindsey.

This old, tiered piece, shown on Design Sponge, looks completely with a little effort and a little paint.

And lastly, here is a dresser redo by Michelle at Three Men and a Lady. If you don't let door pulls and other cosmetic things cloud your vision, you too can come out with wonderful piece like this.

savvyhousekeeping dresser diy

When you go shopping for your next piece of furniture, be sure to put Craigslist, thrift stores and flea markets on your list of places to checkout. You never know what you might find. And if you see something that looks too beat up or out-of-date to even think about bringing home, stop and give it another glance. If it has great lines, it has great potential.

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Our Living Room Mood Board

Our living room is slowly but surely coming together. The biggest To Do's are ordering a new media console, painting the room (which is unfortunately open to the dining room, kitchen, office and breakfast area which means lots of painting to be done!), order a few lamps and a console for the long wall behind the couch. I realize I haven't shared any pictures of our "new" house (we moved in at the end of last October) with you guys. So here's a glimpse of the living room before we moved in. This is what you see when you walk in the front door. The dining room is on the left, the living room is straight ahead and the office on the right. A closer look at the living room. Florida loves their plant ledges...I do not. You win some. You lose some. I also want to replace the tile around the fireplace. A view from the back of the living room looking toward the front corner of the house. The room behind the half green wall is the o...

Guest Room Before and After-Healing Aloe

Here is a shot of the room in all of its coral glory. Great for a teenager, not for a soothing guest room. And here is the Healing Aloe after. Healing Aloe is a color by Benjamin Moore. It was hard to get a good shot of the true color, but it is more of a seafoam than gray. Aside from painting the walls and buying a new white quilt for the bed, everything else in the space we already had--most of which are hand-me-downs (bed and dresser) or thrift store finds (lamp and side table). It will all be sufficient for now, and hopefully a space that our guests will love. I'm very happy with the outcome and the progress of one more room in the house coming closer to completion. One down, three to go (at least in the painting department!)

Canopy Stripes

As I mentioned in a previous post, black and white canopy striped fabric is one of my current obsessions. It's classic, clean and oh so elegant. Not to mention that it can make a bold statement in a room without being too flashy. I normally favor a very neutral color palette with accents of greens and robin's egg blues, and this pattern could be put in any such setting and be beautiful. Here a few of my favorite examples: Is this room spectacular or what? It's modern, classic and sophisticated! There is a large amount of stripes in this room, yet it's not overbearing. And the symmetry and clean lines displayed throughout give the room great balance. I could just plop this room right into my house! This is another example (as shown in a previous entry). If you don't have the money to invest in a rug, buy a few pillows and get the same look in your room for a fraction of the price. Whoever said black and brown don't go together was seriously mistaken. Lo...

House of Hydrangeas

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